Neurobiology of Addiction

Addiction puts a great burden on affected individuals and their families, causing widespread morbidity and behavioral dysfunction. Crime associated with drug abuse and the control of addictive therapeutics pose great legal and societal challenges. Drugs of addiction induce fundamental changes in brain biochemistry, activating neuronal reward circuits and acting as neuronal and cardiovascular stimulants. Research in the Department of Pharmacology aims to understand how addictive agents such as nicotine, amphetamines or cocaine affect neurotransmitter receptors and transporters, and how they change neuronal signal transduction to initiate addiction. Other efforts focus on the discovery of novel analgesics that may replace addictive analgesics treatments in the future.

Addiction Image Gallery

About the Image

Cytoplasmic surface view of an inward-facing model of LeuT, a bacterial homologue of neurotransmitter transporters. Leucine (yellow) and sodium (blue) in their binding sites are visible through an aqueous pathway lined by residues (red) corresponding to positions with cytoplasmic accessibility in the cocaine-sensitive serotonin transporter. From the Rudnick lab. Physiology 2009 Dec;24:377.

Modal Title

{
"displayStyle": "video-modal"
}

{
"displayStyle": "video-gallery-modal"
}

How will my information be used?

When you express interest in a specific study, the information from your profile will be sent to the doctor conducting that study. If you're eligible to participate, you may be contacted by a nurse or study coordinator.

If you select a health category rather than a specific study, doctors who have active studies in that area may contact you to ask if you would like to participate.

In both cases, you will be contacted by the preferred method (email or phone) that you specified in your profile.